The present invention relates to cutlery and, more particularly, to cutlery useful in construction or building improvement.
Although the present invention may find use in many other types of devices, for concreteness in the present disclosure, the following description is directed toward a putty knife of a type having a wide blade.
A putty knife conventionally includes a flat blade of tempered steel held in a two-part molded plastic handle, symmetrically disposed with respect to a center line of the blade. The blade is attached to the handle using grommets through aligned holes in the blade and halves of the handle. Particularly in the case of a wide blade, torques on the blade, both about its centerline and about a line normal to its center line, make it difficult to resist twisting and loosening in the handle.
Blades are sometimes positioned between metal handle halves and welded to the metal handle halves. In conventional devices, the handle halves are welded together at a number of positions about their abutting perimeters. Although it makes a secure assembly, welding is a relatively expensive technique. Also, after welding, additional finishing and painting steps are required to improve the rough appearance typically produced by welding. This adds further to the cost.